Comedy Central is giving you a backstage pass to the show The Hollywood Reporter calls "the epicenter of LA's alt-comedy scene" when "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" premieres today, July 23 at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT. The new series is hosted by Comedy Central favorites and exciting comedic voices Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani. For eager fans that just can't wait, the premiere episode will be available on July 7 on cc.com, the Comedy Central App, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.

The eight-episode, half-hour series is an inside look at what has been Los Angeles' hottest live stand-up comedy show for four years, consistently drawing some of the biggest names around. Shot documentary style at The Nerdist Showroom in the back of Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles' premiere comic book store, the show features performances by Jim Gaffigan, Weird Al Yankovic, Garfunkel and Oates, Nick Offerman, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Chris Hardwick, and a host of others. "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" also features revealing backstage moments with comedians and celebrities hanging out in the green room. The premiere episode features sets from David Koechner, Neal Brennan, Moshe Kasher, and Steve Agee.

Episodes of "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" will be available the day after premiere on the Comedy Central App, and two days after air on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Xbox Video, Sony Entertainment Network, Vudu and Verizon Flexview.

Leading up to the on-air premiere, Comedy Central Stand-Up and cc.com/TheMeltdown will feature preview clips, episode highlights, extended clips and exclusive deleted scenes. CC.com will also debut an exclusive behind the scenes trailer prior to the series premiere. A Twitter feed featuring tweets from Ray, Nanjiani, and each week's comedians will appear on cc.com/TheMeltdown, along with a photo gallery featuring original Dave Kloc show posters and the latest posts from The Meltdown Tumblr blog. Fans can follow Ray and Nanjiani on Twitter at @jonahray and @kumailn, and tweet using the hashtag #TheMeltdown to join the social chatter around the series.

Ray started his TV career as a writer's assistant for "The Andy Milonakis Show," before being fired then immediately being re-hired as a full time writer. Since then he has written and performed on shows such as "Adventure Time," "Human Giant," "The League," and "The Soup," and has appeared as a stand-up on "Conan" and "Live at Gotham," as well as Comedy Central's "Mash Up" and "The Half Hour." He can be seen in the upcoming seasons of "Drunk History" on Comedy Central, "Maron" and "Garfunkle and Oates." In addition, Ray is one of Chris Hardwick's co-hosts of The Nerdist Podcast, which is also a show on BBC America. He can also be seen touring the country as a solo stand-up, supporting his latest comedy record from AST Records, "Hello, Mr. Magic Plane Person, Hello." which debuted at number one on the iTunes Comedy Charts.

Nanjiani is a tireless Los Angeles-based writer, actor, and comedian. He has been seen performing stand-up on "Conan," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." His 2013 comedy special "Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male" was on the "best of 2013? lists for Vulture, Village Voice, and the Onion AV Club, and it was chosen as best comedy special of the year by Entertainment Weekly. Nanjiani is a recurring cast member on shows including "Portlandia," "AdventureTime," and the webseries "Burning Love," among others. He has also appeared in the feature films "Hell Baby," "Loaded," "Bad Milo," "Five Year Engagement," and the upcoming "Hot Tub Time Marchine 2." He was a regular cast member on TNT's "Franklin and Bash" for two seasons and is now a regular cast member on the Mike Judge show "Silicon Valley" on HBO.

"The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail" is executive produced by Ray, Nanjiani, Emily Gordon and Red Hour's Ben Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld, and Mike Rosenstein. Toni Magon and Ryan Moran are the Executives in Charge for Comedy Central.

In addition to its specials, Comedy Central stand-up series include "Adam Devine's House Party," "Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution," "The Half Hour," "Comedy Underground with Dave Attell" and the upcoming "This is Not Happening."

For clips, trailers, and other behind-the-scenes content visit www.cc.com/stand-up or the
CC: Stand-Up Facebook page, download the CC: Stand-Up app for iOS devices and Xbox Live, follow @ccstandup on Twitter and listen to Comedy Central Radio, exclusively on SiriusXM.